Flighty's plot

much plotting during the the past couple of weeks, and it’ll be the same again next week.

I’ve been bringing home plenty of strawberries as well as some raspberries on a few days.

Although there are plenty of the latter they are mostly rather small making picking difficult or not even worth bothering with.

 

There are already flowers appearing on two of the tomato plants, one each Outdoor Girl and Yellow Perfection. 

The onions Sturon are growing well, and some of the first early potatoes Foremost foliage is starting to die back so it won’t be long before I start lifting the first of them.

 

Small self-seeded cosmos are starting to flower.

I’ve not seen many butterflies so far,  but plenty of bees mostly on the blackberry flowers this morning. Also good, as always, to see the robin.

 

Have a good week, and take care!

Last week I received an email from Liz over in Lexington, Kentucky to tell me that she had entered three floral designs in the flower show being held there last Saturday.

The themes were decades from the mid 20th century and she had chosen Rubik’s cube from the 80’s, the Macarena from the 90’s and Covid-19.  The later has chicken wire folded into a double helix shape which is hard to see against the background (picture bootom left).

She didn’t know if she had scored any ribbons against the competition when she sent that email.  On Tuesday she sent another one to tell me that she hadn’t won any for the floral designs but had been awarded the horticulture Champion ribbon for her oakleaf hydrangea (picture bottom right), which was among her other entries.

Well done Liz!

Have a good weekend, and take care!

I’m pleased to see that all the dwarf French beans Tendergreen I sowed the week before last have appeared (as shown), but so far only a couple of the runner beans are showing which I seem to recollect do take a few days longer.

I looked at the first short double row of carrot Royal Chantenay seedlings during last week but when I looked again the next day they had all disappeared, which I guess  was due to slugs eating them.  Thankfully I still have plenty of seeds so I’ll be able to sow some more.

 

I’m picking a few strawberries each time I’m on the plot but so far there hasn’t been enough to bring home so I eat them whilst I’m having a look round.

 

 

 

The white flowering dog rose is doing really well this year with lots of flowers.  It’s just a shame that they only last a few days.

 

Have a good week, and take care!

There was steady rain most of Tuesday which was much needed and welcome.  The temperture looks set to rise to the low 20’s C/72 F over the weekend before falling to the high teens C/66 F into next week.

On Monday I sowed the sweet corn seeds Sundance and a second double short row of carrots Royal Chantenay.   Apart from sowing some more dwarf French beans and carrots later next month I’ve now just about finished planting and sowing for this season.

Yesterday I carefully hoed round the potatoes and onions, all of which are growing well and look okay.  I’ll now switch back to the flower patches which certainly need some attention, mostly weeding.  As well as the pot marigolds there are some self-seeded blue and white love-in-a-mist flowering (the picture below is from June 2010).

The annual plot flowers like these are a sure indication that summer’s almost here. 

Have a good weekend, and take care!

Bank Holiday weekend weatherwise being overcast with some rain and rather windy at times.  The rain overnight Friday to Saturday was welcome, and much needed, and it will have saved me having to water all round this week.  I didn’t go to the plot yesterday, and today I’ll take a look round after lunch when it should have brightened up.

Last week I sowed two rows of dwarf French beans Tendergreen, and planted out the first three tomatoes, Outdoor Girl and Yellow Perfection, along with  the cucumber Diva.  Next week I hope to plant out the other three tomatoes, same varieties, and sow the sweet corn Sundance.  I’ll probably also sow another two short rows of carrots Royal Chantenay. 

I can see flower buds on lots of the self-seeded Pot Marigolds Flighty’s Favourites, and on Friday a one yellow was almost open so it shouldn’t be too long before it’s looking it was back in July 2016.

  Have a good week, and take care!

much plotting over the past few days but this morning, which was cool and overcast, I went to the plot early and watered all round.  That means I’ll be able to concentrate on the planting and sowing I plan to do during the coming week.

 

I’m pleased to see that most of the nasturtiums Tom Thumb I sowed in the usual place at the path end of the double row of strawberries have appeared.

 

 

 

Beyond the comfrey and raspberries, at the south-eastern corner of the plot, is the White Meadowsweet (Spiraea alba) which is starting to flower.  I like this white flowering small shrub.

 

At home out the front the Iceberg rose is in full bloom with most of the white flowers visible through the living room windows.  Also blooming are the adjacent red and yellow roses (varieties unknown).

 

Have a good week,  and take care!

today and much cooler, but it’s still dry and there’s been no rain.  There are cracks now starting to appear in the ground on the plot where I’ve not watered.

The onions Sturon are doing well, and a few of the potatoes first early Foremost have flowers starting to appear already.

This morning I put up a wigwam of six long bamboo canes for the climbing runner beans Midnight. That’s enough as I’ll also be growing plenty of dwarf runner beans Jackpot.  It’ll be interesting to compare the two varieties.

Apart from hoeing, watering and weeding I’ve not done much else this week as I went there early and didn’t stay as long as usual.

The cornus/dogwood is looking good as it’s now in full  flower.

Have a good weekend, and take care!